We know that being in Japan and especially Tokyo is one of the best places to visit for food, but what if you aren’t feeling Japanese tonight? We got you covered. As much as we’d like to, we know we can’t eat udon and ramen all the time right? Here are our recommendations for non-Japanese restaurants for noodle lovers in Tokyo.
Sanshou Koufuku (Akasaka)
Sanshou Koufuku is a restaurant in Akasaka that specializes in Taiwanese cuisine. The Akasaka area is particularly diverse with numerous Chinese and Korean restaurants and this shop fits into the atmosphere of the area perfectly. Walking into the store and you will feel as if you were instantly transported to Taiwan and the milk tea cafes of Hong Kong. Their menu is vast serving rice dishes alongside Taiwanese noodle style dishes.
You might be overwhelmed looking at the menu, but we’ve tested the menu a few times. We recommend going with the Taiwanese beef noodles (牛肉麺) and for only 680 yen I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to try this dish too. But if you’re feeling rice you shouldn’t feel any shame in ordering something else. Their rice bowls are pretty good too! Everything on the menu should be a nice palette cleanser from the myriad of Japanese options in Tokyo. If you want to read a more in-depth guide then check out our article on the restaurant here: https://japanoods.com/taiwanese-beef-noodles-in-akasaka/
Pastavole (Tamachi, Otemachi, Nihombashi, Gaienmae)
Pastavole is a popular Italian restaurant chain in Tokyo with numerous locations throughout the city. They also have a few more Japanese inspired pasta dishes like squid ink pasta, but we thought that this restaurant looked too good to pass up on our list. If you are craving pasta in Japan and you want to enjoy a nice meal with a glass of wine, we recommend making a stop to one of their locations on your next trip.
All of their pasta is delicious, but we really think you should try the snow crab, celery, and tomato pasta shown in the picture above. Fun fact, if you aren’t feeling pasta and you like this shop the owners of this restaurant also have a more traditional Japanese noodle shop. They also are in charge of a soba restaurant Chiyoda called 肉蕎麦 トムラウシ or Tomuraushi Nikusoba. If you’re in the mood for some traditional Japanese soba noodles, you should visit their other shop.
Kaffir Lime (Harajuku)
https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1306/A130601/13006969/
Kaffir Lime is a popular Thai restaurant in the middle of Harajuku, which is one of the trendiest areas in Tokyo. If you are sight-seeing or shopping then this is the perfect restaurant for you to take a rest before you head back out into the chaos of Tokyo. This shop has the best pad thai in Tokyo and they also have a ton of different soup based noodle dishes. Some of the best Thai food, I’ve ever had has been in Japan, so you don’t want to miss out on this culinary experience if you’re in the area.
Take note though this restaurant closes for a short period during the afternoon before they reopen for the dinner crowd at 5:30 pm. So, if you want to eat here for lunch, you need to get to the restaurant before 2:40 pm to make the last order.
Pho Thin TOKYO (Ikebukuro)
One of my favorite foods to eat back in San Francisco is pho, and I always found it really difficult to find a good spot in Tokyo for it. If you are craving some authentic Vietnamese noodles then you should stop by Pho Thin in Ikebukuro. They are a chain restaurant from Hanoi, Vietnam which is an area famous for their delicious pho noodles. This shop has beef broth pho, which is a lot harder to find in Tokyo compared to chicken pho. Another thing that I like about this restaurant is the option to order copious amounts of cilantro and a side of raw egg to your order. To be honest, this was the first time I experienced egg with pho noodles, but I really enjoyed eating the noodles dipping them in the egg sukiyaki style.
If you’re interested in reading more of the full Japanoods report then click here to read our article about this shop: https://japanoods.com/fantastic-pho-finally-in-tokyo/
If you’re Sunshine City and you’re tired of the Chinese options in Ikebukuro then you should definitely stop by this shop. Note, be careful for the wait times and the entrance is a narrow staircase, so it might be better to skip this one if you have suitcases. Although, once you get to the bottom inside the shop you’ll be treated to one of the classiest use of glass in a restaurant I’ve ever seen.
Tomato (Shin-Okubo)
https://shinokubo-tomato.owst.jp/
If you’re itching for some Korean food, then you know Shin-Okubo is the spot to feed your needs. However, once you get there you might be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of shops in the area. Never fear, we’ve found the perfect spot for you to stop by while you take a break from watching BTS videos in one of the many K-Pop stores in the area.
Tomato is a popular spot in Shin-Okubo for Korean food. Rumor has it many K-Pop stars come here undercover while they’re on vacation in Japan. So, if you’re looking for Korean food or stars in Tokyo then you need to come here. And of course, they also have solid Korean BBQ for you to go all out on. They serve a delicious samgyeopsal all-you-can-eat course for only 2000 yen. And if you want the full experience of all-you-can-drink and an unlimited number of side dishes you can get it all for 4000 yen.
Of course, you don’t have to order the all-you-can-eat courses. But remember this is a guide for noodles, so one thing you don’t want to miss out on is the plethora of noodle options they have available at the ready for you. After all, Korean food is much more diverse than just BBQ.
At Tomato they serve Korean ramen, dukbokki (Korean rice cake noodles), various types of cold Korean soba like naengmyeon and Korean hiyashi men. Honestly, their whole menu is so diverse it definitely warrants a full-page spread.
We recommend you stopping by here to check out a glimpse of the Korean noodle scene in Tokyo to get a better idea for yourself for how deep it can get.